Electrical contact-shoe.



W. W. MACFARLANE. ELECTRICAL comer SHOE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, l9l6- Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

r H ,0 e 3 a 1mm 46 I3 SUN WITNESSES.- fifffikm WILLIAM W. MACFARLANE, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL CONTACT-SHOE.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Apr. 2,1918.

' Application filed April 20, 1916. -SeriaNo. 92,420.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that WVILLIAM WV. MAOFAR- LANE, citizen of the United 'States,-and resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Contact-Shoes, of which the following is aspecification.

The device of this invention consists of a contact shoe for the purpose of taking electrical currents from a rail or other similar conductor against which the shoe is held in constant contact. This shoe may be carried upon the engine or any of the cars of a railway tram,1fit 1s to operate upon railway I tracks, and is firmly held in place by some wearing and resisting qualities.

suitable means of support attached to the vehicle which is carrying it.

The shoe consists of a hard casement of steel or other metal having high Into this steel frame or casement copper is cast or otherwise placed so that it will be exposed on the contact surface of the shoe through apertures of any desirable form or shape but in such a manner that the friction of contact is borne by the steel and not by the copper. By this device there is combined the strength and durability .of the steel to resist the constant friction of contact together with the great conductive power of the copper. This shoe is particularly adapted to taking and conducting electrical currents from the rails of anordinary railway track into electrical apparatus carried upon an engine or railway car and used for purposes of signaling, telephoning, automatic train control, and may be used to advantage for picking up driving and propelling currents from'third rails, etc. The invention of this application has met the problem of combining strength and durability with the lowest resistance and its usefulness and novelty is apparent.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the following drawings, all of which form a part of this specification. In the figures of the drawing the identical parts are marked with the same numbers.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of one of the shoes contemplated by this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the same.

Figs. 3 and 5 are views of the contact sur protecting F .cap 0.

face of the shoe showing .two plans for brlngmg to the contact surface a metal of good conducting properties. The lnvcntor does not confine .himself to any form of aperture through which this conducting metal reaches thecontact surface.

Fig. 4. 1s across SGCt-lOIlIOf the ShOQlllLlS- .trating the same as Fig. 3.

In Fig. 1 1 represents the hard .metal .protector or casement preferably constructed .of steel. support to be connected with the vehicle carrying the shoe. These may very properly be hinged or pivoted as shown in the drawing, and are designed to hold the shoe in its place .on the track. The shoe is prevented from moving at right angles to and is held in close contact with the track by fiat springs 3 and 4 which are attached to The edges of this cap extend down over both sides of the shoe.

in Fig. 1 shows the upper surface of the copper. In Fig. 2 this copper body is shown extending to the contact surface at 7 and .8. The conductors which carry the current from the shoe into the apparatus on the car are attached .to copper posts 11 and 12 which are all cast as a part of 6. Over the posts 11 and 12 are fitted collars which are attached to cables or other conductors for carrying the current to the desired apparatus. These collars are represented by 9 and 10 in Fig. 2, and a rail of the track is represented by 13 and the figure shows how contact is made at the contact surface.

Fig. 3 represents the top view of a portion of the shoe and shows how the copper conductor is exposed at points 14, etc., for the purpose of contact with the rails, being protected from excessive wear by the incasement of hard metal 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the same illustrating a similar placing of the copper contact.

Fig. 5 shows another plan by which the copper may be brought to the surface of contact as shown at 15, 16, etc. This inventor however does not confine himself to any special shape of aperture or any special way of putting the copper into the shoes.

As this metallic shoe is carried by the moving vehicle in contact with a rail or other surface from which it is desired to conduct an electrical current, the current will be picked up by the copper contacts at 2 represents some suitable means of.

The copper part of the shoe is represented by 6 which the contact surface and carried by the copper to the copper posts 11 and. 12 and from there through the cables or other conductors to any desired point. The steel casement Without the copper contacts would not serve as a good conductor to pick up the current but its purpose in this device is of high importance and is to save the copper or soft contact metal from Wear by constant friction. The shoe is capable of adjustment by its suitable means of support and springs 3 and 4. It can be adapted to fit any desired position. Inan electrical system for automatic train control and signal device, this inventor has found the shoe particularly suitable for carrying on the engine of a railway train immediately back of the Wheels so that the Wheel in front of the shoe Will keep the track continually clear of snow or other obstruction.

What I claim is 1- 1. A' contact shoe comprising: a Wearresisting member having a surface arranged for sliding engagement With a conductor, and a conducting member having an integral projection extending through said Wearresisting member to the conductor-engaging surface thereof.

2. A contact shoe comprising: a Wearresisting member having a conductor-engaging surface, and a conducting member having a plurality of projections extending through the Wear-resisting member to the conductor-engaging surface thereof.

3. A contact shoe comprising: a wear resisting member having a surface of substantial area arranged for sliding engagement With a conductor, and a conducting member having a plurality of projections extending through the Wear resisting member to the conductor engaging surface thereof. a. A contact shoe comprising: an elongated Wear-resisting member having a surface arranged for sliding engagement With a conductor, and a conducting member having projections extending through the Wearresisting member at a plurality of points intermediate the ends thereof.

5. A contact shoe comprising: a Wearresisting member having a container-shaped opening in one face thereof and having the opposite face arranged for sliding engagement With a conductor, said Wear-resisting member having perforations extending between said opening and said conductorengaging surface, and conducting material filling said opening and said perforations, whereby the conducting material has proj 80-1 tions extending through the Wear-resisting member to the conductor-engaging surface thereof.

6. A contact shoe comprising: a Wearresisting member having a generally gridshaped formation and a conductor engaging surface, and conducting material filling the interstices of said Wear-resisting member, Whereb gage t e conductor for a substantial area and be protected from Wear.

7. A contact shoe comprising: an elongated Wear-resisting member, links pivoted to opposite ends of said member for attaching said memberto a vehicle, said Wear resisting member having perforations extending therethrough to the conductor engaging surface thereof, and a conducting member having projections extending through said perforations to engage said conductor.

Signed at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania April, A. D. 1916.

WILLIAM W. MACFARLANE.

Witnesses:

J. FRANK STALEY, BERTHA CLARK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each by addressing the Gommissionerof Patents, Washington, D. G.

the conducting material Will en- 

